As mind-bogglingly embarrassing as our now infamous orientation video is, we can always always always count on Georgia Tech to offer us a breath of fresh air perspective.
Or in this case, a hurricane of "it's not so bad".
Click here to see what went down at Georgia Tech's orientation this year.
See, don't you feel better now?
Showing posts with label Perspective. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Perspective. Show all posts
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Friday, August 13, 2010
3 Things To Watch For As EPL Starts This Weekend
1. The World Cup Fatigue Factor
Watch for players on teams who played in the World Cup, especially on teams who made a deep run. In most cases these players were given extra time off before reporting to training camp with their clubs, and as such they are both not quite back to being ready for their team and trying to work through and shake off the physical & mental fatigue from the World Cup. For some players, they will not have had more than a month off since June 2009, and it typically manifests itself in two ways: First, such players are brought back into the club fold slowly and/or they start the season slowly. Second, such players often hit a wall towards the end of the season as the long haul fatigue sets in; kind of a long term bonk from playing virtually non-stop over a 22 month span, especially for players who play on teams that make deep runs in multiple competitions (league & cups).
Don't be surprised if, say, Arjen Robben has a less monsterous year than last: playing in and winning both German league and Cup, and losing in Champions League final and World Cup final, he is an example of a player who may yield to fatigue early and/or late in the season.
Two of Arsenal's best players seem to fit in the category, but Arsenal are lucky that upon further review they do and they don't: Robin Van Persie was out injured for several months last year, and Cesc Fabregas was injured for 2 months as well, and on top of that his World Cup playing time was extremely limited. These guys, once they get back into camp and get fully ramped up, should have a better chance of fighting off the long term fatigue than some others.
2. Players Who Missed World Cup And Are Both Fresh And Motivated
The opposite of fatigued, overused players are those who are well rested because they missed the World Cup, and are also pissed that they missed the World Cup and are super motivated and chomping at the bit to get back out on the field and do their thing. Russian captain Andrei Arshavin may be the best player in the world who did not make the World Cup; he is rested, motivated, more than a bit crazy, and definitely a player whose performances vary based on effort & desire- don't be surprised if he has a big season after a quiet one last year.
Hoping for more performances like this from the "little Russian genius" in 2010-11, starting with this Sunday at Anfield
Same thing for the likes of Michael Essien (returning from injury), Michael Ballack (ditto), Samir Nasri (who has been a beast in Arsenal pre-season games), Theo Walcott, Esteban Cambiasso, Alexandre Pato, and Karim Benzema just to name a few.
3. Don't Get Too Excited Early On
The beginning of the season is always stop/start with the interruption of the fall international matches- 3 games then a break, 4 games then a break, etc, etc. Also, many years teams start out the season in unexpected fashion, most often a promoted team or perennial bottom dweller getting off to a hot start and being in the top 5 of the table. But don't get too excited and start talking trash or believing that they can carry their early form through the full 38 game season. The underdog overachievers typically fall back to earth for 2 reasons: lack of squad depth/quality vis a vis the bigger better teams which over the long haul triggers a regression to the mean, and in the case of promoted teams, it taking a while for the other teams to learn their new opponent and then how to beat that opponent (think of a pitcher who gets called up to MLB and does great the first time he faces teams, but then struggles the 2nd, 3rd, 4th time he plays teams as scouting and adjustments kick in). Less frequent but still applicable is the opposite- when a big club struggles and find themselves firmly in the bottom half of the table after a handful of games. In both cases, usually by the second half of the season they have worked their way back to where most expected they would be, with the big boys back at the top and the heart warming minnows fighting to avoid relegation.
A good measure is not to get too excited or make too many conclusions about teams until 10 league games have been played. Then start talking trash or thinking 'uh, oh' this could really be an outlier/anomaly year (Liverpool 2009-2010). Until 10 games have been played don't believe the "What's Wrong With ManU?" or "Blackpool Will Challenge For A Place In Europe!!!" stories in mid-September.
Here is the TV schedule for this weekend's games. Enjoy.
Watch for players on teams who played in the World Cup, especially on teams who made a deep run. In most cases these players were given extra time off before reporting to training camp with their clubs, and as such they are both not quite back to being ready for their team and trying to work through and shake off the physical & mental fatigue from the World Cup. For some players, they will not have had more than a month off since June 2009, and it typically manifests itself in two ways: First, such players are brought back into the club fold slowly and/or they start the season slowly. Second, such players often hit a wall towards the end of the season as the long haul fatigue sets in; kind of a long term bonk from playing virtually non-stop over a 22 month span, especially for players who play on teams that make deep runs in multiple competitions (league & cups).
Don't be surprised if, say, Arjen Robben has a less monsterous year than last: playing in and winning both German league and Cup, and losing in Champions League final and World Cup final, he is an example of a player who may yield to fatigue early and/or late in the season.
Two of Arsenal's best players seem to fit in the category, but Arsenal are lucky that upon further review they do and they don't: Robin Van Persie was out injured for several months last year, and Cesc Fabregas was injured for 2 months as well, and on top of that his World Cup playing time was extremely limited. These guys, once they get back into camp and get fully ramped up, should have a better chance of fighting off the long term fatigue than some others.
2. Players Who Missed World Cup And Are Both Fresh And Motivated
The opposite of fatigued, overused players are those who are well rested because they missed the World Cup, and are also pissed that they missed the World Cup and are super motivated and chomping at the bit to get back out on the field and do their thing. Russian captain Andrei Arshavin may be the best player in the world who did not make the World Cup; he is rested, motivated, more than a bit crazy, and definitely a player whose performances vary based on effort & desire- don't be surprised if he has a big season after a quiet one last year.
Hoping for more performances like this from the "little Russian genius" in 2010-11, starting with this Sunday at Anfield
Same thing for the likes of Michael Essien (returning from injury), Michael Ballack (ditto), Samir Nasri (who has been a beast in Arsenal pre-season games), Theo Walcott, Esteban Cambiasso, Alexandre Pato, and Karim Benzema just to name a few.
3. Don't Get Too Excited Early On
The beginning of the season is always stop/start with the interruption of the fall international matches- 3 games then a break, 4 games then a break, etc, etc. Also, many years teams start out the season in unexpected fashion, most often a promoted team or perennial bottom dweller getting off to a hot start and being in the top 5 of the table. But don't get too excited and start talking trash or believing that they can carry their early form through the full 38 game season. The underdog overachievers typically fall back to earth for 2 reasons: lack of squad depth/quality vis a vis the bigger better teams which over the long haul triggers a regression to the mean, and in the case of promoted teams, it taking a while for the other teams to learn their new opponent and then how to beat that opponent (think of a pitcher who gets called up to MLB and does great the first time he faces teams, but then struggles the 2nd, 3rd, 4th time he plays teams as scouting and adjustments kick in). Less frequent but still applicable is the opposite- when a big club struggles and find themselves firmly in the bottom half of the table after a handful of games. In both cases, usually by the second half of the season they have worked their way back to where most expected they would be, with the big boys back at the top and the heart warming minnows fighting to avoid relegation.
A good measure is not to get too excited or make too many conclusions about teams until 10 league games have been played. Then start talking trash or thinking 'uh, oh' this could really be an outlier/anomaly year (Liverpool 2009-2010). Until 10 games have been played don't believe the "What's Wrong With ManU?" or "Blackpool Will Challenge For A Place In Europe!!!" stories in mid-September.
Here is the TV schedule for this weekend's games. Enjoy.
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Tuesday, August 3, 2010
University Of Georgia AV Chickens Come Home to Roost
In 1998 Virginia Tech was 5-0 and thinking National Championship when they inexplicably lost at home to Temple as 35 point favorites after leading 17-0 at the half. Afterwards Va Tech defensive end Corey Moore famously said, "we're the laughingstock of college football right now, and deservedly so."
Well today it is us Georgia Bulldogs who are the deserved laughingstock. Damn. Just, damn.
1. This is what happens when your allegedly great school turns out Junior High School AV Club quality 30 second commercials that are played during NCAA football games year after year after year. Clearly a case of chickens coming home to roost.
2. Holy shit, perhaps I was a bit off in my analysis of The Princeton Review on-site reviewers. What if they named UGA the #1 party school based on this video?
3. It just got a hell of a lot harder to ever make fun of Georgia Tech. Granted, they massively outweigh us in the quantity department, but in the quality department this is up there with anything they have done, if not worse.
4. These orientation leaders make my orientation leaders from summer of 1992 look like the Hells Angels. I'm just glad these were not my orientation leaders back then, or I may well have immediately withdrawn and gone to another school.
This makes the cast of "Glee" look like Genghis Khan & his army
Let's be clear: this is NOT International Bad Line stuff. This is a boat that sinks just west of the 180 degree latitude marker and will rest there for all eternity- as bad as bad can get without becoming IBL bad--->good.
Anyone embarrassed by the recent #1 party school in America designation needs to seriously check themselves- this is the most embarrassing thing to happen to UGA since the Jan Kemp affair.
(h/t to Orson Swindle for bringing this to my attention)
Well today it is us Georgia Bulldogs who are the deserved laughingstock. Damn. Just, damn.
1. This is what happens when your allegedly great school turns out Junior High School AV Club quality 30 second commercials that are played during NCAA football games year after year after year. Clearly a case of chickens coming home to roost.
2. Holy shit, perhaps I was a bit off in my analysis of The Princeton Review on-site reviewers. What if they named UGA the #1 party school based on this video?
3. It just got a hell of a lot harder to ever make fun of Georgia Tech. Granted, they massively outweigh us in the quantity department, but in the quality department this is up there with anything they have done, if not worse.
4. These orientation leaders make my orientation leaders from summer of 1992 look like the Hells Angels. I'm just glad these were not my orientation leaders back then, or I may well have immediately withdrawn and gone to another school.
This makes the cast of "Glee" look like Genghis Khan & his army
Let's be clear: this is NOT International Bad Line stuff. This is a boat that sinks just west of the 180 degree latitude marker and will rest there for all eternity- as bad as bad can get without becoming IBL bad--->good.
Anyone embarrassed by the recent #1 party school in America designation needs to seriously check themselves- this is the most embarrassing thing to happen to UGA since the Jan Kemp affair.
(h/t to Orson Swindle for bringing this to my attention)
Monday, August 2, 2010
Princeton Review Crowns UGA Party Champions. Don't Be Fooled; They Likely Have More Street Cred Than Playboy
So UGA finally broke through to become the #1 party school in America, a ranking almost as subjective as the BCS. Surely the difference between the #1 party school in America and the #30 party school in America is pretty damn small; hell any of the top 50 or 100 could likely be re-arranged in any manner by a random number generator and no-one could really argue with it. These rankings seem kind of like the special olympics ribbon or the "My child is student of the month at Kennedy Elementary" bumper stickers- everybody gets one eventually if you are a regular participator who does fairly well.
Party school rankings: kind of like this
But forget all that, because the whole thing is rather boring and meaningless. What did interest me is that this is the Princeton Review Party School ranking, which got me thinking:
1. "Wait, someone else ranks this besides Playboy magazine?"
2. "WTF is THE PRINCETON REVIEW doing ranking epic partying? Isn't that like PETA ranking the best dog tracks in America?"
3. "I bet Princeton Review and Playboy use different methodologies to determine their top party schools..."
#3 initially made me think that UGA had just won the equivalent of the NIT basketball championship or the Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl, but then I had a realization:
I bet the Princeton Review on-site reviewers are much more hardcore than the Playboy ones. Follow me...
The entire ethos of Playboy is party all the time & inhibition, so for the Playboy on-site reviewers this is all day, every day. Fun but more of the same: drunkenness, nakedness, hijinks, etc. Yawn. Pass the butter.
However, if you work at the Princeton Review, then there is only one chance in the entire span of your employment there to escape the stuffy boredom of academia, and that is if you are selected to be an annual party school ranking on-site reviewer. Give these people an expense account and a 'what happens after dark stays a secret' mentality, then send them into the bellies of the largest collegiate bacchanalia beasts in the country, and something tells me that they binge on sex, drugs, and rock & roll like it's their last week on Earth, and in such a manner that would put even the Playboy reviewers to shame. Think of the "one time, at band camp..." girl but on a much larger scale.
So if you are disappointed that UGA has only achieved the party school championship as determined by boring nerds, turn that frown upside down: this ranking may well hold more weight & insane party cred than the one by vanilla Playboy. Boast to your friends or cringe as necessary.
Also, if someone wanted to make a poll that was actually interesting, they should make one that is 50% party (party school ranking) and 50% academic quality (average SAT score, Rhodes, etc) and do a combination. Neither the academic rankings nor the party rankings are very interesting, but the hybrid one showing which schools party the most yet are still academically legitimate would be a very interesting one, and a poll that would generate much more respect from people. It would be much better to boast about partying down while also taking care of business in the classroom than just partying down or being academically superior.
This could actually be done by anyone with enough free time (read: not me), and I suspect that UGA would fare pretty well, top 20 or maybe even top 10, but the winner might be a school like Michigan.
Party school rankings: kind of like this
But forget all that, because the whole thing is rather boring and meaningless. What did interest me is that this is the Princeton Review Party School ranking, which got me thinking:
1. "Wait, someone else ranks this besides Playboy magazine?"
2. "WTF is THE PRINCETON REVIEW doing ranking epic partying? Isn't that like PETA ranking the best dog tracks in America?"
3. "I bet Princeton Review and Playboy use different methodologies to determine their top party schools..."
#3 initially made me think that UGA had just won the equivalent of the NIT basketball championship or the Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl, but then I had a realization:
I bet the Princeton Review on-site reviewers are much more hardcore than the Playboy ones. Follow me...
The entire ethos of Playboy is party all the time & inhibition, so for the Playboy on-site reviewers this is all day, every day. Fun but more of the same: drunkenness, nakedness, hijinks, etc. Yawn. Pass the butter.
However, if you work at the Princeton Review, then there is only one chance in the entire span of your employment there to escape the stuffy boredom of academia, and that is if you are selected to be an annual party school ranking on-site reviewer. Give these people an expense account and a 'what happens after dark stays a secret' mentality, then send them into the bellies of the largest collegiate bacchanalia beasts in the country, and something tells me that they binge on sex, drugs, and rock & roll like it's their last week on Earth, and in such a manner that would put even the Playboy reviewers to shame. Think of the "one time, at band camp..." girl but on a much larger scale.
So if you are disappointed that UGA has only achieved the party school championship as determined by boring nerds, turn that frown upside down: this ranking may well hold more weight & insane party cred than the one by vanilla Playboy. Boast to your friends or cringe as necessary.
Also, if someone wanted to make a poll that was actually interesting, they should make one that is 50% party (party school ranking) and 50% academic quality (average SAT score, Rhodes, etc) and do a combination. Neither the academic rankings nor the party rankings are very interesting, but the hybrid one showing which schools party the most yet are still academically legitimate would be a very interesting one, and a poll that would generate much more respect from people. It would be much better to boast about partying down while also taking care of business in the classroom than just partying down or being academically superior.
This could actually be done by anyone with enough free time (read: not me), and I suspect that UGA would fare pretty well, top 20 or maybe even top 10, but the winner might be a school like Michigan.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
56 Games. 19 Days Straight. Somehow Still Married, Employed, And Alive. Calgon Take Me Away...
Some of you are bummed that there is no soccer today. Not me- I couldn't be happier. After 19 days in a row of 2, 3, or 4 games a day, including 10 straight days of getting up at 4.30am, I am am relieved and excited for this 2 day break before the quarterfinals.
I feel today exactly the way I felt 4 years ago today, except now I'm also relieved that my wife still loves me.
56 games in 19 days will leave you needing one of these
I hope y'all enjoy these two days off as much as I will, and from here on out the schedule is easy as pie and the soccer should be incredible.
I feel today exactly the way I felt 4 years ago today, except now I'm also relieved that my wife still loves me.
56 games in 19 days will leave you needing one of these
I hope y'all enjoy these two days off as much as I will, and from here on out the schedule is easy as pie and the soccer should be incredible.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Why You Should Watch Spain-Chile Today
They are in a much much bigger do or die situation today than we were against Algeria, and by 1.20pm PST will either be all time national heroes or will return hom in shame just like France & Italy.
Since the current World Cup 32 team format began in 1998, 24 teams have lost their 1st match, but only4 of those teams have gone on to make it to the knockout round. If you include World Cup 2010, there have now been 32 teams to lose their 1st round game. Spain is trying to become only the 5th of those teams to escape.
When you add the fact that they are widely regarded as the best team in the world, are currently ranked #1 or #2 in the world by every subjective ranking out there, and have only lost 2 of their last 50 matches (USA 2009 Confederations Cup, Switzerland last week), you can see what is at stake.
Oh, they're also the most enjoyable team to watch when they are "in the mood", so definitely try to carve out some time to check them out today. For very similar reasons to those I laid out for the US before their epic encounter with Algeria, I am very confident that Spain are going to do it and become national heroes. Making history, plus their exhilirating run to become Euro 2008 champions, *should* lay to rest the tired cliche that they historically always choke on the world stage.
Prediction: Spain 3-1 Chile
¡Vamanos La Furia Roja!
Since the current World Cup 32 team format began in 1998, 24 teams have lost their 1st match, but only4 of those teams have gone on to make it to the knockout round. If you include World Cup 2010, there have now been 32 teams to lose their 1st round game. Spain is trying to become only the 5th of those teams to escape.
When you add the fact that they are widely regarded as the best team in the world, are currently ranked #1 or #2 in the world by every subjective ranking out there, and have only lost 2 of their last 50 matches (USA 2009 Confederations Cup, Switzerland last week), you can see what is at stake.
Oh, they're also the most enjoyable team to watch when they are "in the mood", so definitely try to carve out some time to check them out today. For very similar reasons to those I laid out for the US before their epic encounter with Algeria, I am very confident that Spain are going to do it and become national heroes. Making history, plus their exhilirating run to become Euro 2008 champions, *should* lay to rest the tired cliche that they historically always choke on the world stage.
Prediction: Spain 3-1 Chile
¡Vamanos La Furia Roja!
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
The Ultimate Word On Bissinger
If you are aware of the shitstorm created from last week's Bob Costas Now show on HBO by Pulitzer Prize winning author Buzz Bissinger {Friday Night Lights} for his juvenile and vitriolic attack on DeadSpin's Will Leitch about the value of sports blogs, then if you read one commentary on it, make sure that commentary is that of DCTrojan, for he absolutely knocked it out of the park, as he is wont to do. No one, no matter what media form, will write a better commentary about the whole situation, as well as the blogs vs. mainstream media issue, as our Scottish friend.
As I have said to him before: "On your regular days you’re like James McFadden in Stade de France; on your best days you’re simply Archie Gemmill on June 11, 1978", which only makes sense if you have a rudimentary knowledge of Scottish soccer history.
Anyhow, read the article, for DCT is dropping knowledge in the most massive way.
For the record, Bissinger is embarrased and apologetic, and says so in his interview with Orson Swindle, who also represents the blogosphere exceptionally well for his rational and reasoned interview discourse- compare that with how he might be interviewed by the tools on Pardon The Interruption or even CNN, and there's your stereotype destruction of the tired cliche about bloggers vs the MSM.
And a final word out blogs being dumbed down: watch ESPN College Football GameDay, and then read Sunday Morning Quarterback, and you tell me which one is dumbed down and worthless {hint for the lazy: one of them features Big And Rich, and one doesn't}. I rest my case.
As I have said to him before: "On your regular days you’re like James McFadden in Stade de France; on your best days you’re simply Archie Gemmill on June 11, 1978", which only makes sense if you have a rudimentary knowledge of Scottish soccer history.
Anyhow, read the article, for DCT is dropping knowledge in the most massive way.
For the record, Bissinger is embarrased and apologetic, and says so in his interview with Orson Swindle, who also represents the blogosphere exceptionally well for his rational and reasoned interview discourse- compare that with how he might be interviewed by the tools on Pardon The Interruption or even CNN, and there's your stereotype destruction of the tired cliche about bloggers vs the MSM.
And a final word out blogs being dumbed down: watch ESPN College Football GameDay, and then read Sunday Morning Quarterback, and you tell me which one is dumbed down and worthless {hint for the lazy: one of them features Big And Rich, and one doesn't}. I rest my case.
Eight Belles, R.I.P.
Some shots from the not at all fun part of Saturday.
Trainer Larry Jones leading EIGHT BELLES into the paddock area.
We were about 8 feet away from her, and my God what a beautiful animal she was. She was also the biggest filly I have ever seen. Normally fillies are visibally smaller than colts, but she was as big as if not bigger than most of the boys. Unlike most women on Craigslist claiming it, she was really and truly a BBW.
Jockey Gabriel Saez leads EIGHT BELLES out to the track
I'm a bit of a lefty, but I want to take a minute to say what a stupid bunch of ignorant glory hunting douchebags the folks over at PETA are for coming out and demanding that Gabriel Saez be suspended for "killing" EIGHT BELLES. I guess I missed the part where he pulled out his machete and slit her throat after crossing the wire. The fact that they would seek the spotlight without as much as taking the time to ask anyone who knows anything at all about horse racing before saying such ignorant shit as she was "doubtlessly injured before the finish" among other complete ignorant things. They have absolutely no idea what they are talking about and are just using a tragic accident to seek the spotlight and glamorize themselves, and as someone who is pretty into horse racing, it pisses me off. So eat a dick, PETA.
I also want to say that it was very classy and thoughtful for NBC track reporter Donna Brothers to pick Saez up on the track and give him a ride back around the track and through the paddock to the jockey's room. Brothers was right there on the scene and is visibly shaken up, as was Saez, but he was still gracious enough to toss one of his pairs of goggles to a fan as they went past us.
As we left the track it felt eerie looking over at the stall in the paddock where she saddled up, which was now completely empty, in more ways than one.
What an empty feeling
I don't want to write a book about all the ethical questions floating around right now, but this was an accident and it happens in horse racing all the time, albeit 99% of the time not when millions of people are watching but rather a few hundred. FYI the statistics available show that there are between 1.5 and 2 fatalities per 1000 starts in thoroughbred horse racing in the United States. I would be interested to see how that compared to boxing, wrestling, or the newly popular mixed martial arts and ultimate fighting.
At the end of the day, no one "killed" EIGHT BELLES, she misstepped and broke down, and as cold as it is to say it, it is a part of racing. You are talking about 1600 pound animals who run 35 miles per hour and whose ankles are the same size as yours and mine. Think about that for a minute and let that sink in.
The problem lies not in what most people are talking about, the problem lies in the breeding of thoroughbreds. Years ago they were bred for strength, stamina and speed, but the last few decades they have been bred purely for speed and speed only, and as a result the entire breed has become even more fragile. Why? Because with syndication in the 70s there is now so many hundreds of millions of dollars in the breeding industry, that they want speed, speed, speed. The breed has been inbred too much to accomplish this, and the result is the we inevitably will see more fatal breakdowns because the breed just keeps getting less strong and more fragile with each passing generation. The introduction of synthetic racing surfaces seems to be cutting way down on fatal breakdowns, and I truly believe that we will see the Kentucky Derby run on a synthetic track in our lifetimes. But the only way to really address the situation is through breeding, and like with so many other things in this world there seems to be so much money at stake that those who control it will likely never change, as they are making too many millions of dollars doing what they are doing and are unlikely to fundamentally change and make less money in order to do the right thing for the breed as a whole.
It's tragic and I know alot of non-horse racing people like to poke fun at it, just like they did in backlash to the Barbaro media circus, but people in racing get very emotionally attached to these animals and it is heartbreaking to see them suffer and even die. Hell we're just racing fans and 3 different dudes in our group had tears in our eyes, myself included, when the word swept through CD on Saturday- I cannot even imagine the emotions felt by those really close to the animal- the people who bred her, who raised her, who broke her, who worked with her every day, who trained her, and who owned her, and that they all went from total & complete euphoria for the animal to utter and complete sadness & loss in the span of about 2 minutes. Imagine your dog dying when you were a kid and then multiply that by a 1000 or so. And no I don't want to see zoomed in still images or shots from the blimp cam and get all Joe Theisman with it; there's no point- it's just another instance of unnecessary injury porn.
And people snark about the owners being millionaires and making money off the horses. Look, most people in the racing game are already millionaires, and each and every one of them would rather that any of their horses would never win a dollar and be healthy than sacrifice their lives to win them a bunch of money.
After the Barbaro thing, as well as some other breakdowns in the last few years, including George Washington in last year's Breeders Cup Classic, I have changed my prerace thought pattern from "man I hope my horse wins" to "I just hope that they all get around safely and get out of the race healthy".
R.I.P. EIGHT BELLES, a beautiful champion filly who lost her life doing what she loved, and doing it well.
Trainer Larry Jones leading EIGHT BELLES into the paddock area.
We were about 8 feet away from her, and my God what a beautiful animal she was. She was also the biggest filly I have ever seen. Normally fillies are visibally smaller than colts, but she was as big as if not bigger than most of the boys. Unlike most women on Craigslist claiming it, she was really and truly a BBW.
Jockey Gabriel Saez leads EIGHT BELLES out to the track
I'm a bit of a lefty, but I want to take a minute to say what a stupid bunch of ignorant glory hunting douchebags the folks over at PETA are for coming out and demanding that Gabriel Saez be suspended for "killing" EIGHT BELLES. I guess I missed the part where he pulled out his machete and slit her throat after crossing the wire. The fact that they would seek the spotlight without as much as taking the time to ask anyone who knows anything at all about horse racing before saying such ignorant shit as she was "doubtlessly injured before the finish" among other complete ignorant things. They have absolutely no idea what they are talking about and are just using a tragic accident to seek the spotlight and glamorize themselves, and as someone who is pretty into horse racing, it pisses me off. So eat a dick, PETA.
I also want to say that it was very classy and thoughtful for NBC track reporter Donna Brothers to pick Saez up on the track and give him a ride back around the track and through the paddock to the jockey's room. Brothers was right there on the scene and is visibly shaken up, as was Saez, but he was still gracious enough to toss one of his pairs of goggles to a fan as they went past us.
As we left the track it felt eerie looking over at the stall in the paddock where she saddled up, which was now completely empty, in more ways than one.
What an empty feeling
I don't want to write a book about all the ethical questions floating around right now, but this was an accident and it happens in horse racing all the time, albeit 99% of the time not when millions of people are watching but rather a few hundred. FYI the statistics available show that there are between 1.5 and 2 fatalities per 1000 starts in thoroughbred horse racing in the United States. I would be interested to see how that compared to boxing, wrestling, or the newly popular mixed martial arts and ultimate fighting.
At the end of the day, no one "killed" EIGHT BELLES, she misstepped and broke down, and as cold as it is to say it, it is a part of racing. You are talking about 1600 pound animals who run 35 miles per hour and whose ankles are the same size as yours and mine. Think about that for a minute and let that sink in.
The problem lies not in what most people are talking about, the problem lies in the breeding of thoroughbreds. Years ago they were bred for strength, stamina and speed, but the last few decades they have been bred purely for speed and speed only, and as a result the entire breed has become even more fragile. Why? Because with syndication in the 70s there is now so many hundreds of millions of dollars in the breeding industry, that they want speed, speed, speed. The breed has been inbred too much to accomplish this, and the result is the we inevitably will see more fatal breakdowns because the breed just keeps getting less strong and more fragile with each passing generation. The introduction of synthetic racing surfaces seems to be cutting way down on fatal breakdowns, and I truly believe that we will see the Kentucky Derby run on a synthetic track in our lifetimes. But the only way to really address the situation is through breeding, and like with so many other things in this world there seems to be so much money at stake that those who control it will likely never change, as they are making too many millions of dollars doing what they are doing and are unlikely to fundamentally change and make less money in order to do the right thing for the breed as a whole.
It's tragic and I know alot of non-horse racing people like to poke fun at it, just like they did in backlash to the Barbaro media circus, but people in racing get very emotionally attached to these animals and it is heartbreaking to see them suffer and even die. Hell we're just racing fans and 3 different dudes in our group had tears in our eyes, myself included, when the word swept through CD on Saturday- I cannot even imagine the emotions felt by those really close to the animal- the people who bred her, who raised her, who broke her, who worked with her every day, who trained her, and who owned her, and that they all went from total & complete euphoria for the animal to utter and complete sadness & loss in the span of about 2 minutes. Imagine your dog dying when you were a kid and then multiply that by a 1000 or so. And no I don't want to see zoomed in still images or shots from the blimp cam and get all Joe Theisman with it; there's no point- it's just another instance of unnecessary injury porn.
And people snark about the owners being millionaires and making money off the horses. Look, most people in the racing game are already millionaires, and each and every one of them would rather that any of their horses would never win a dollar and be healthy than sacrifice their lives to win them a bunch of money.
After the Barbaro thing, as well as some other breakdowns in the last few years, including George Washington in last year's Breeders Cup Classic, I have changed my prerace thought pattern from "man I hope my horse wins" to "I just hope that they all get around safely and get out of the race healthy".
R.I.P. EIGHT BELLES, a beautiful champion filly who lost her life doing what she loved, and doing it well.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Boo Weekley: A Golfer For People Who Dislike Golfers
Been meaning to write this for over a year, but now that he's -2 and tied for 20th going into the weekend, there's no better time than now...
Do you dislike golf and golfers because to you they all seem like spoiled, wealthy, country club kids with no personality?
Then Boo Weekley is the guy for you. Named after Yogi Bear's sidekick, a country boy from North Florida, he is the most refreshing thing to hit the golf world since John Daly {Jason Gore included}.
A PGA Tour professional who doesn't know anything about the Ryder Cup, is not at all aware of golf history, records, and who admittedly loves huntin' n' fishin' much more than being a professional golfer, to the point where he would rather be at home fishin' than shooting 64 in the 3rd round of a major to put himself into contention while barely missing a tie for the best round in the history of all four majors. No, really:
"Naw, I mean I had a good day and it was fun... but what would
be even funner if I'm sitting at the house catchin' about a 10 pounder."
See? I knew you'd dig him.
How about that 1) he's been a PGA Tour professional for 4 years now but still lives in a trailer, and that he didn't even know what week The Masters was even after he qualified for it and was figuring out his playing schedule- check out his recent interview with Jeff Rude:
Here's an interview he did at the tour championship last year, where he rocked a Cleveland Golf camo hat.
And here is a great longer piece on him, his background, through his own words and those of his family:
"Out here in this golf, you know, you gotta show a little etiquittacy."
Don't be fooled, the fact that he did that interview means that he was in the top 30 on the money list last year, so dude can flat out golf his ball. He won the event in Hilton Head last year, and will be defending that title next week {I think it's called the Verizon Heritage these days}, and he is one of the best young players around.
Again, a massive breath of fresh air in the stodgy and often boring drone life of the PGA Tour, and a kind, honest, friendly, humble, modest, and simple man that anyone can get behind and root for, from serious golf fans to casual ones to people who don't even like golf.
Boo is -2 going into today at The Masters {tied for 20th}. There's lots of dudes that I would like to see win this week, but none moreso than him.
Oh, and for a country boy from North Florida who loves huntin' n fishin' more than golf, he can do a little pimpin' as well.
Boo on Thursday
Boo on Friday
Do you dislike golf and golfers because to you they all seem like spoiled, wealthy, country club kids with no personality?
Then Boo Weekley is the guy for you. Named after Yogi Bear's sidekick, a country boy from North Florida, he is the most refreshing thing to hit the golf world since John Daly {Jason Gore included}.
A PGA Tour professional who doesn't know anything about the Ryder Cup, is not at all aware of golf history, records, and who admittedly loves huntin' n' fishin' much more than being a professional golfer, to the point where he would rather be at home fishin' than shooting 64 in the 3rd round of a major to put himself into contention while barely missing a tie for the best round in the history of all four majors. No, really:
"Naw, I mean I had a good day and it was fun... but what would
be even funner if I'm sitting at the house catchin' about a 10 pounder."
See? I knew you'd dig him.
How about that 1) he's been a PGA Tour professional for 4 years now but still lives in a trailer, and that he didn't even know what week The Masters was even after he qualified for it and was figuring out his playing schedule- check out his recent interview with Jeff Rude:
Here's an interview he did at the tour championship last year, where he rocked a Cleveland Golf camo hat.
And here is a great longer piece on him, his background, through his own words and those of his family:
"Out here in this golf, you know, you gotta show a little etiquittacy."
Don't be fooled, the fact that he did that interview means that he was in the top 30 on the money list last year, so dude can flat out golf his ball. He won the event in Hilton Head last year, and will be defending that title next week {I think it's called the Verizon Heritage these days}, and he is one of the best young players around.
Again, a massive breath of fresh air in the stodgy and often boring drone life of the PGA Tour, and a kind, honest, friendly, humble, modest, and simple man that anyone can get behind and root for, from serious golf fans to casual ones to people who don't even like golf.
Boo is -2 going into today at The Masters {tied for 20th}. There's lots of dudes that I would like to see win this week, but none moreso than him.
Oh, and for a country boy from North Florida who loves huntin' n fishin' more than golf, he can do a little pimpin' as well.
Boo on Thursday
Boo on Friday
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Get Well Larry
Friday Georgia legend Larry Munson had brain surgery to remove a blood clot. Apparently everything went well and Munson, 85, is expected to make a full recovery. Whether he calls home games this season or not is pretty irrelevant, here's hoping he gets back to good health.
Lots of thoughts are with you around these parts. Get well, Larry- we love ya.
Lots of thoughts are with you around these parts. Get well, Larry- we love ya.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Walker Atrice III, Damn Good Dawg. RIP.
AJC article about Walker Atrice's death
Knuckle Up Fitness profile of/interview with Walker
HT: Paul Westerdawg
Walker literally gave me the shirt off his back once.
In my closet at home sits a 1996 Georgia football #31 jersey, signed in sharpie by Walker Atrice III, which he gave to me one late night in Panama City on spring break, as a party in the Luckie triplets' room was dying down about 3 a.m., after I drunkenly asked him if I could have it and he said "sure, man. I'll say I lost it and I'll get another one. Hold on, let me find a Sharpie and I'll sign it for you". That night he and I and the triplets went out and they were all so fun and nice, happily playing along with my story as we chatted up girls, who became interested that they were talking to football players at UGA, that I was in fact the field goal kicker.
Walker was a hell of a nice guy, and although I wouldn't say that we were close friends, we did hang out a good bit in 95-96. He was a living example of the rejection of the tired football player stereotype: kind, confident but not arrogant, intelligent, articulate, thoughtful, a true student athlete who took school seriously and spoke of one day becoming a doctor, just a great guy all around.
At Georgia games from about 96-2000 I would wear my WA31 jersey, and invariably random people would come up to me and tell me that they knew Walker and how he was such a great guy and they knew him from Lakeside or wherever, so I know that it wasn't just me who had this impression of him.
My heart is filled with sadness today as I learned of his bizarre death after collapsing immediately after participating in a golden gloves boxing match. Apparently Walker was 23-4 as an amateur and dreamed of turning pro.
My thoughts are with him and his family. If anyone who reads this knows how to contact his family, I would love to write them and offer to give them my signed jersey, it would likely mean much more to them than to me.
Rest in peace, Walker.
Knuckle Up Fitness profile of/interview with Walker
HT: Paul Westerdawg
Walker literally gave me the shirt off his back once.
In my closet at home sits a 1996 Georgia football #31 jersey, signed in sharpie by Walker Atrice III, which he gave to me one late night in Panama City on spring break, as a party in the Luckie triplets' room was dying down about 3 a.m., after I drunkenly asked him if I could have it and he said "sure, man. I'll say I lost it and I'll get another one. Hold on, let me find a Sharpie and I'll sign it for you". That night he and I and the triplets went out and they were all so fun and nice, happily playing along with my story as we chatted up girls, who became interested that they were talking to football players at UGA, that I was in fact the field goal kicker.
Walker was a hell of a nice guy, and although I wouldn't say that we were close friends, we did hang out a good bit in 95-96. He was a living example of the rejection of the tired football player stereotype: kind, confident but not arrogant, intelligent, articulate, thoughtful, a true student athlete who took school seriously and spoke of one day becoming a doctor, just a great guy all around.
At Georgia games from about 96-2000 I would wear my WA31 jersey, and invariably random people would come up to me and tell me that they knew Walker and how he was such a great guy and they knew him from Lakeside or wherever, so I know that it wasn't just me who had this impression of him.
My heart is filled with sadness today as I learned of his bizarre death after collapsing immediately after participating in a golden gloves boxing match. Apparently Walker was 23-4 as an amateur and dreamed of turning pro.
My thoughts are with him and his family. If anyone who reads this knows how to contact his family, I would love to write them and offer to give them my signed jersey, it would likely mean much more to them than to me.
Rest in peace, Walker.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Every Team Has Shitty Fans
So alot has been made of the Aston Villa fans last weekend, who took only 14 minutes of the Arsenal-Villa match at the Emirates before they started singing a song comparing Eduardo to Paul McCartney's amputee wife:
"He used to have silky skills,
now he walks like Heather Mills"
Appalling and shameful? Yes. Arsene Wenger said it best: "unfortunately there are no limits to either intelligence or stupidity".
However, as an Arsenal fan, I can't get too self-righteously outraged over this for many reasons. First, apparently it was a fairly small number of fans that participated. Secondly, some pathetic Arsenal fans for years have taunted Spurs fans with references to the Holocaust and gas chambers, and apparently as recently as this season some were said to have sung "We've got Cesc Fabregas, you yids are scared of gas", which is far worse than what the Villa fans did.
The truth is that no fan base is homogeneous. Each has geniuses and idiots, rational people and lunatics, reasonable people and unconscionable people. A small portion of every fan's base is an embarrassment, like a giant ass-pimple that can never be popped or heal. Now some teams have a bigger percentage of the whole that participate in despicable behavior {Arsenal or Portsmouth vs. Milwall or Lazio, for example}, but no fanbase is completely lily-white and 100% pure. Hell there are Georgia fans that I see at games all the time that cause me to be embarrassed for my team and my university, just as there are classy fans of Florida, Tennessee, Auburn, and Georgia Tech. It's not as plain and simple as our current fearless leader would like to believe, that everyone on our team are valiant heroes and everyone on the other team are horrible evildoers.
When these groups of fans do horrible shit then they should certainly be called out on it, but entire fan bases should not be called out as classless and shameful. I am certain that a large portion of the Villa fanbase is embarrassed by the song, just as millions of Arsenal fans, myself included, want nothing to do with and completely condemn any Arsenal fans taunting Spurs with Holocaust and gas chamber references.
So a big fuck you to the Villa fans that sang that song, but not to all Villa fans as a whole. Ditto for sick ass anti-semitic Arsenal fans vis a vis Gooners as a whole.
"He used to have silky skills,
now he walks like Heather Mills"
Appalling and shameful? Yes. Arsene Wenger said it best: "unfortunately there are no limits to either intelligence or stupidity".
However, as an Arsenal fan, I can't get too self-righteously outraged over this for many reasons. First, apparently it was a fairly small number of fans that participated. Secondly, some pathetic Arsenal fans for years have taunted Spurs fans with references to the Holocaust and gas chambers, and apparently as recently as this season some were said to have sung "We've got Cesc Fabregas, you yids are scared of gas", which is far worse than what the Villa fans did.
The truth is that no fan base is homogeneous. Each has geniuses and idiots, rational people and lunatics, reasonable people and unconscionable people. A small portion of every fan's base is an embarrassment, like a giant ass-pimple that can never be popped or heal. Now some teams have a bigger percentage of the whole that participate in despicable behavior {Arsenal or Portsmouth vs. Milwall or Lazio, for example}, but no fanbase is completely lily-white and 100% pure. Hell there are Georgia fans that I see at games all the time that cause me to be embarrassed for my team and my university, just as there are classy fans of Florida, Tennessee, Auburn, and Georgia Tech. It's not as plain and simple as our current fearless leader would like to believe, that everyone on our team are valiant heroes and everyone on the other team are horrible evildoers.
When these groups of fans do horrible shit then they should certainly be called out on it, but entire fan bases should not be called out as classless and shameful. I am certain that a large portion of the Villa fanbase is embarrassed by the song, just as millions of Arsenal fans, myself included, want nothing to do with and completely condemn any Arsenal fans taunting Spurs with Holocaust and gas chamber references.
So a big fuck you to the Villa fans that sang that song, but not to all Villa fans as a whole. Ditto for sick ass anti-semitic Arsenal fans vis a vis Gooners as a whole.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Eduardo And Injury Porn
Went to the pub to watch Birmingham-Arsenal on Saturday morning. Two minutes in and Martin Taylor tackles Eduardo hard, and Eduardo is down in a heap. After a moment it is obvious that he is really injured badly. Then I see something I have never seen before- the cameras show his teammates, and they are visibly freaked the fuck out, like they literally saw a ghost. Cesc is angry and really rattled, Hleb has both hands on his head in disbelief, Adebayor is beyond shocked and stunned, as is Sagna- who just lost his 29 year old brother last weekend- his hand is over his mouth in utter shock and disbelief {if you think I am exaggerating I think that they will show these reactions tonight on the Monday night Fox Sports World report on FSC}.
Sky didn't launch into all the replay angles like normal, and soon word comes that the injury is so horrific that Sky is refusing to show any replays. Then I see that Eduardo is not conscious and is being given oxygen through a tank/mask thingy. After attending to him for 9 minutes, they place a white sheet over his body before stretchering him off, something that I have never seen in any sport other than horse racing when a horse breaks down and has to be euthanized on the track {they put up a giant sheet to shield the procedure from the stands}.
Forget the game, which is a whole nother story, but what got me thinking during and after the match was the Brits decision not to show any replays, and how 1) I liked that and 2) how different an approach that struck me as versus American sports coverage.
When horrific injuries happen in American sports, it's serious injury porn time. They typically show 100 replays of it, from every angle, use the telestrator to circle it, and point it out in excruciating detail time after time after time. Then, on the highlight shows, they often continue the injury porn by saying shit like "if you have a weak stomach, then you really should turn away for a few moments or leave the room", which strikes me as the exact same thing as a website telling a 15 year old boy "EXPLICIT SEXUAL MATERIAL- DO NOT ENTER IF YOU ARE UNDER 18". Tyrone Prothro, Bryant Young, Tim Krumrie, Joe Thiesmann, et al...
Anyhow, it just struck me as respectful and classy of the Brits to refuse to participate in the injury porn, especially considering it was Sky {owned by Rupert Murdoch, owner of Fox and several tabloid newspapers the world over}. In this day and age the injury porn seekers will find the video and pics on the internet in short order, and some injuries are so bad that it seems exploitative and gratuitous to show them several times over. I really wish that American sports media would follow the Brits lead on this, although I am beyond certain that they never will.
I didn't feel the need to rush home and find the pics on the internet, but Sunday I did break down and click through on a link to some pictures from an Arsenal blog, and I wish I hadn't, there were 9 pictures and after 2 I was done and wondering how long it would take for me to ever get that image out of my head. Now there's apparently slo-mo replay of it from other angles out there, but I'm going to pass: after seeing the scene at the match, seeing 2 pics, hearing his teammates talk about it, and hearing that the surgeons were seriously considering having to amputate his foot, I know all I need to know, and anything more seems pornographic at this point. If I live the rest of my life without ever seeing the video I'll be just fine.
As far as the injury itself/the incident/Martin Taylor/the rules which govern such things/etc, I completely agree and could not add anything to what Arseblogger said so eloquently about it yesterday {where he has a stunning picture just before impact to completely dispel the story that it was an innocent case of missing the ball} as well as today, so if you want an excellent and reasoned opinion about the situation read his stuff.
My thoughts and wishes are with Eduardo, who is well liked by his teammates and seems like a really good guy. So shitty for him that at age 24 he was really coming into his own and ready to lead Croatia at this summer's Euro2008 after leading them to qualification. He may or may not ever play again, but I just hope that he is able to recover to full heath and be able to walk and function normally. Best wishes man, forget about soccer right now and just get well.
Get better, man
Even if we never see this again,
here's hoping for a return to full health
Also, happy 25th birthday today, or as happy as it can be considering the circumstances.
Sky didn't launch into all the replay angles like normal, and soon word comes that the injury is so horrific that Sky is refusing to show any replays. Then I see that Eduardo is not conscious and is being given oxygen through a tank/mask thingy. After attending to him for 9 minutes, they place a white sheet over his body before stretchering him off, something that I have never seen in any sport other than horse racing when a horse breaks down and has to be euthanized on the track {they put up a giant sheet to shield the procedure from the stands}.
Forget the game, which is a whole nother story, but what got me thinking during and after the match was the Brits decision not to show any replays, and how 1) I liked that and 2) how different an approach that struck me as versus American sports coverage.
When horrific injuries happen in American sports, it's serious injury porn time. They typically show 100 replays of it, from every angle, use the telestrator to circle it, and point it out in excruciating detail time after time after time. Then, on the highlight shows, they often continue the injury porn by saying shit like "if you have a weak stomach, then you really should turn away for a few moments or leave the room", which strikes me as the exact same thing as a website telling a 15 year old boy "EXPLICIT SEXUAL MATERIAL- DO NOT ENTER IF YOU ARE UNDER 18". Tyrone Prothro, Bryant Young, Tim Krumrie, Joe Thiesmann, et al...
Anyhow, it just struck me as respectful and classy of the Brits to refuse to participate in the injury porn, especially considering it was Sky {owned by Rupert Murdoch, owner of Fox and several tabloid newspapers the world over}. In this day and age the injury porn seekers will find the video and pics on the internet in short order, and some injuries are so bad that it seems exploitative and gratuitous to show them several times over. I really wish that American sports media would follow the Brits lead on this, although I am beyond certain that they never will.
I didn't feel the need to rush home and find the pics on the internet, but Sunday I did break down and click through on a link to some pictures from an Arsenal blog, and I wish I hadn't, there were 9 pictures and after 2 I was done and wondering how long it would take for me to ever get that image out of my head. Now there's apparently slo-mo replay of it from other angles out there, but I'm going to pass: after seeing the scene at the match, seeing 2 pics, hearing his teammates talk about it, and hearing that the surgeons were seriously considering having to amputate his foot, I know all I need to know, and anything more seems pornographic at this point. If I live the rest of my life without ever seeing the video I'll be just fine.
As far as the injury itself/the incident/Martin Taylor/the rules which govern such things/etc, I completely agree and could not add anything to what Arseblogger said so eloquently about it yesterday {where he has a stunning picture just before impact to completely dispel the story that it was an innocent case of missing the ball} as well as today, so if you want an excellent and reasoned opinion about the situation read his stuff.
My thoughts and wishes are with Eduardo, who is well liked by his teammates and seems like a really good guy. So shitty for him that at age 24 he was really coming into his own and ready to lead Croatia at this summer's Euro2008 after leading them to qualification. He may or may not ever play again, but I just hope that he is able to recover to full heath and be able to walk and function normally. Best wishes man, forget about soccer right now and just get well.
Get better, man
Even if we never see this again,
here's hoping for a return to full health
Also, happy 25th birthday today, or as happy as it can be considering the circumstances.
Saturday, September 8, 2007
Fucking Embarrassing
The game? No. The game was shit on so many levels, but we'll get to that in due time.
The embarrassment was the fans that booed the team off the field at halftime, and at other times as well. It was loud and clear on my television from 2,500 miles away, so I am certain that it was several orders of magnitude louder inside the stadium. I know not all of you did, but to the ones that did, you are a fucking embarrassment to the University of Georgia, and if you are going to boo 18-22 year old kids, then please stay home. And don't come with that weak shit "I was just booing the coaching staff, or the playcalling. Not the kids." Fuck you for thinking that anyone could selectively distinguish the narrow and specific philosophical nature of your booing. If this was the first time this has happened then I wouldn't be so pissed about it. But it's not. I remember writing about it at least 2 times last year, and can remember other instances of it beyond that. Shit Terrance Edwards was what, six, seven years ago? To repeatedly do this is a totally embarrassing representation of our fanbase and school.
If I was a recruit at one of the games when this happened, then I would have serious, serious reservations about committing my future to UGA. When things are down the team need you to be as encouraging as ever, and we have all seen that crowds can be a motivational 12th man. When things are shit, in sports or in life, it's positive encouragement and belief in you from others that spur you out of it and onto better things, not turncoat negativity and abandonment. What the team needed was an encouraging and rousing standing ovation from all 83,000 UGA fans that said "Come on! We're behind you and we believe in you! We both know that you have fucked up and can do much better, so let's do just that- you can do this! "
Moan. Groan. Throw shit. Break something. Curse like a motherfucking sailor at that God damn shitty playcall on 4th and 2 or the missed tackles or the poor throws or the drops and on and on. Whatever. But do not give up and turn on your team when things are not going well. It is a horrible and insulting message to send to the young men who represent our school, and it speaks volumes to your level of so-called fandom. You are a fairweather bandwagoner who only cheers for a winner, and I do not appreciate you. You are chickenshits.
If you are a true fan of UGA, or any other team for that matter, then root for, cheer, and encourage that team when things are going great and when things are going shitty. In fact, the more you stand by your team when they perform poorly, the more you show yourself to be a real fan of the team.
The next time something shitty happens in your life, or you completely fuck up, be it relationship, job, or otherwise related, and you are down and out, and a friend or family member gives you positive words of encouragement that makes you feel better, believe in yourself, and helps you get out of the bad situation and out of the rain and back in to the sunshine, and you think about how much you appreciate that person and their words which were so helpful, think about how you would have felt if instead of offering words of encouragement and support, those same people booed you and told you that you were shit when you needed a boost. Then think about the fact that, as an alleged diehard loyal Bulldog, you booed the shit out of 20 year old kids when things weren't going well but there was still all to play for, and what a shitbird wanker that makes you look like.
And triple everything I just said for anyone who is an alumnus of the University Of Georgia and not just a "fan" in general.
If you want to see how it should be done, then check out Portsmouth of the EPL sometime. Down 0-4 after 35 minutes at home to an absolutely rampant Arsenal in an FA Cup match back in 2003, they sang in support of their team, 28,000 strong at the top of their lungs, for the entire 90 minutes en route to an absolute 5-1 assbeating. It was completely astounding and beyond impressive to anyone who witnessed it, and was commented on far and wide, even by the Arsenal players and manager. Their fans are widely regarded as the best in the land for just this reason, and are respected far and wide even though they are not a great team.
The embarrassment was the fans that booed the team off the field at halftime, and at other times as well. It was loud and clear on my television from 2,500 miles away, so I am certain that it was several orders of magnitude louder inside the stadium. I know not all of you did, but to the ones that did, you are a fucking embarrassment to the University of Georgia, and if you are going to boo 18-22 year old kids, then please stay home. And don't come with that weak shit "I was just booing the coaching staff, or the playcalling. Not the kids." Fuck you for thinking that anyone could selectively distinguish the narrow and specific philosophical nature of your booing. If this was the first time this has happened then I wouldn't be so pissed about it. But it's not. I remember writing about it at least 2 times last year, and can remember other instances of it beyond that. Shit Terrance Edwards was what, six, seven years ago? To repeatedly do this is a totally embarrassing representation of our fanbase and school.
If I was a recruit at one of the games when this happened, then I would have serious, serious reservations about committing my future to UGA. When things are down the team need you to be as encouraging as ever, and we have all seen that crowds can be a motivational 12th man. When things are shit, in sports or in life, it's positive encouragement and belief in you from others that spur you out of it and onto better things, not turncoat negativity and abandonment. What the team needed was an encouraging and rousing standing ovation from all 83,000 UGA fans that said "Come on! We're behind you and we believe in you! We both know that you have fucked up and can do much better, so let's do just that- you can do this! "
Moan. Groan. Throw shit. Break something. Curse like a motherfucking sailor at that God damn shitty playcall on 4th and 2 or the missed tackles or the poor throws or the drops and on and on. Whatever. But do not give up and turn on your team when things are not going well. It is a horrible and insulting message to send to the young men who represent our school, and it speaks volumes to your level of so-called fandom. You are a fairweather bandwagoner who only cheers for a winner, and I do not appreciate you. You are chickenshits.
If you are a true fan of UGA, or any other team for that matter, then root for, cheer, and encourage that team when things are going great and when things are going shitty. In fact, the more you stand by your team when they perform poorly, the more you show yourself to be a real fan of the team.
The next time something shitty happens in your life, or you completely fuck up, be it relationship, job, or otherwise related, and you are down and out, and a friend or family member gives you positive words of encouragement that makes you feel better, believe in yourself, and helps you get out of the bad situation and out of the rain and back in to the sunshine, and you think about how much you appreciate that person and their words which were so helpful, think about how you would have felt if instead of offering words of encouragement and support, those same people booed you and told you that you were shit when you needed a boost. Then think about the fact that, as an alleged diehard loyal Bulldog, you booed the shit out of 20 year old kids when things weren't going well but there was still all to play for, and what a shitbird wanker that makes you look like.
And triple everything I just said for anyone who is an alumnus of the University Of Georgia and not just a "fan" in general.
If you want to see how it should be done, then check out Portsmouth of the EPL sometime. Down 0-4 after 35 minutes at home to an absolutely rampant Arsenal in an FA Cup match back in 2003, they sang in support of their team, 28,000 strong at the top of their lungs, for the entire 90 minutes en route to an absolute 5-1 assbeating. It was completely astounding and beyond impressive to anyone who witnessed it, and was commented on far and wide, even by the Arsenal players and manager. Their fans are widely regarded as the best in the land for just this reason, and are respected far and wide even though they are not a great team.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Lightning Tragically Strikes 3.5 Times in 10 days
By now everyone, soccer fans and general sports fans alike are aware of the shocking death of 22 year old professional athlete Antonio Puerta three days after collapsing on the field in front of a worldwide live TV audience. Tragic is a cliche word, but this was truly tragic, especially when you factor in that he leaves behind his girlfriend, who is pregnant with his son who will be born in October.
A little more under the radar was the abandonment of Carling Cup match between Leicester City and Nottingham Forest on Tuesday when Leicester City's 26 year old Clive Clarke collapsed in the dressing room at halftime and had to be revived with a defibrillator. He is in the hospital and still being observed and tested; we can only hope that he recovers and lives out a long and happy life.
Is that not eerie, tragic, ans scary-as-hell enough for you?
Just yesterday yet another player collapsed, this time 27 year old Zambian international Chaswe Nsofwa who plays in the second division in Israel. He collapsed during practice and was rushed to the hospital, where sadly he died.
If that's not enough, last week 16 year old Anton Reid, a Walsall trainee, collapsed and died in a training session. I kid you not.
That's four collapses and three deaths in the span of 10 days. I don't remember any majorly covered soccer collapse deaths since Cameroon's Marc Vivien Foe collapsed and died in a Confederations Cup match against France back in 2003. I have a feeling more have happened since then but are a bit more under the radar, but surely nothing like 4 in 10 days. I'm going to do a little research on this...
So sad. My thoughts and sincere condolences go out to all persons directly affected by these horrible incidents.
A little more under the radar was the abandonment of Carling Cup match between Leicester City and Nottingham Forest on Tuesday when Leicester City's 26 year old Clive Clarke collapsed in the dressing room at halftime and had to be revived with a defibrillator. He is in the hospital and still being observed and tested; we can only hope that he recovers and lives out a long and happy life.
Is that not eerie, tragic, ans scary-as-hell enough for you?
Just yesterday yet another player collapsed, this time 27 year old Zambian international Chaswe Nsofwa who plays in the second division in Israel. He collapsed during practice and was rushed to the hospital, where sadly he died.
If that's not enough, last week 16 year old Anton Reid, a Walsall trainee, collapsed and died in a training session. I kid you not.
That's four collapses and three deaths in the span of 10 days. I don't remember any majorly covered soccer collapse deaths since Cameroon's Marc Vivien Foe collapsed and died in a Confederations Cup match against France back in 2003. I have a feeling more have happened since then but are a bit more under the radar, but surely nothing like 4 in 10 days. I'm going to do a little research on this...
So sad. My thoughts and sincere condolences go out to all persons directly affected by these horrible incidents.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Surreal and Sad
Saturday after watching Arsenal beat Citeh I watched the Sevilla-Getafe match, in which Getafe took a 1-0 lead in the first 5 minutes but then had not one but 2 dudes sent off in the first half. In the second half Sevilla came back and eventually won 4-1, but that's not what this is about.
Midway through the 1st half, a Sevilla defender, Antonio Puerta, collapsed under no contact as a goal kick was about to be taken. The Spanish TV cameras got a close up of his teammate and then trainer pulling his tounge out from down his throat- it was obvious that he was unconscious and choking on it. a few minutes later he got up and walked off on his own, and as scary as it was the match went on and he went I presume to the hospital.
Well apparently he had another collapse in the dressing room, was rushed to the hospital, and passed away this morning. It was revealed that in laymans terms he suffered a heart attack on the field, and then another series of heart attacks afterwards.
He was only 22 years old.
So surreal and sad. I'm sure there are videos of the on field collapse out there, but I don't feel right finding and posting it here. I can't explain why but I feel differently about this having seen it live then if I hadn't seen the match live- maybe because the images were pretty stark and scary.
Thoughts are with his family and Sevilla FC, who understandably have postponed tomorrow's Champions League qualifier and may or may not play their SuperCup match on Friday against AC Milan. Another sad reminder of how unimportant sports are, or as a friend of mine wisely said years ago, that "sports are the toy department of life".
*Update: Swindle has more specific medical info and the video if you choose to see it.
Midway through the 1st half, a Sevilla defender, Antonio Puerta, collapsed under no contact as a goal kick was about to be taken. The Spanish TV cameras got a close up of his teammate and then trainer pulling his tounge out from down his throat- it was obvious that he was unconscious and choking on it. a few minutes later he got up and walked off on his own, and as scary as it was the match went on and he went I presume to the hospital.
Well apparently he had another collapse in the dressing room, was rushed to the hospital, and passed away this morning. It was revealed that in laymans terms he suffered a heart attack on the field, and then another series of heart attacks afterwards.
He was only 22 years old.
So surreal and sad. I'm sure there are videos of the on field collapse out there, but I don't feel right finding and posting it here. I can't explain why but I feel differently about this having seen it live then if I hadn't seen the match live- maybe because the images were pretty stark and scary.
Thoughts are with his family and Sevilla FC, who understandably have postponed tomorrow's Champions League qualifier and may or may not play their SuperCup match on Friday against AC Milan. Another sad reminder of how unimportant sports are, or as a friend of mine wisely said years ago, that "sports are the toy department of life".
*Update: Swindle has more specific medical info and the video if you choose to see it.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Condolences
I hope that y'all had a great weekend and made it through safely.
Unfortunately, former LSU and New England Patriot defensive back Marquise Hill was not so fortunate, as he was involved in a jet ski mishap and drowned in Lake Ponchatrain over the holiday weekend.
Very tragic for such a young and talented individual with the whole world in front of him. He was one of the very best defensive players in all of college football, and won a BCS National Championship with LSU and a Super Bowl with the Patriots by the time he was 23. Hill was a total and complete badass, and I actually got to see him in person at the LSU-Georgia regular season game in Baton Rouge in 2003.
My thoughts and condolences go out to his family as well as the LSU family and also the Patriots organization. What a terrible reminder of how absolutely insignificant sports are.
Unfortunately, former LSU and New England Patriot defensive back Marquise Hill was not so fortunate, as he was involved in a jet ski mishap and drowned in Lake Ponchatrain over the holiday weekend.
Very tragic for such a young and talented individual with the whole world in front of him. He was one of the very best defensive players in all of college football, and won a BCS National Championship with LSU and a Super Bowl with the Patriots by the time he was 23. Hill was a total and complete badass, and I actually got to see him in person at the LSU-Georgia regular season game in Baton Rouge in 2003.
My thoughts and condolences go out to his family as well as the LSU family and also the Patriots organization. What a terrible reminder of how absolutely insignificant sports are.
Thursday, March 8, 2007
Tragic Reminder Of How Absolutely Insignificant Sports Are
Yesterday the gentleman who runs one of the biggest Alabama football sites out there, Tider Insider, suffered a fate that is about as tragic as you could think of: losing a child to a motorcycle accident and then your spouse in a completely different car accident all in one day is about as bad as it gets (thanks to Swindle for bringing it to my attention).
I don't follow Alabama football closely at all; I have never been to ti.com, and never knew this man, but my heart goes out to him and his family nonetheless, and they will be in my thoughts for sure.
Unfortunately it often takes real life tragedies to remind us how insignificant and relatively unimportant it is to be so emotionally invested in following sports teams whose performances we have absolutely no control over. This is one of those times, and is a good reminder for us all to always remember what is ultimately important in life and what is not. As my wise friend DM once told me "sports is the toy department in the store of life, man."
Tell someone you love but don't let them know nearly enough that you love them today, and continued thoughts and best wishes to Rodney from Tider Insider.
I don't follow Alabama football closely at all; I have never been to ti.com, and never knew this man, but my heart goes out to him and his family nonetheless, and they will be in my thoughts for sure.
Unfortunately it often takes real life tragedies to remind us how insignificant and relatively unimportant it is to be so emotionally invested in following sports teams whose performances we have absolutely no control over. This is one of those times, and is a good reminder for us all to always remember what is ultimately important in life and what is not. As my wise friend DM once told me "sports is the toy department in the store of life, man."
Tell someone you love but don't let them know nearly enough that you love them today, and continued thoughts and best wishes to Rodney from Tider Insider.
Friday, January 26, 2007
The 2007 Kanu Charity Challenge
Last year my New Year's resolution was to take all stairs two at a time to get my legs in better shape for skiing, and not only did it help with that, it became the first New Year's resolution in my life that lasted the entire year. All the rest have found their way to the dustbin by February 1.
This year my New Year's resolution is to donate 1% of my after tax income to charity. I was going to start with the Fugees, but considering that since the Times article ran on Sunday they have received over $50,000 in donations, and Universal Pictures just kicked in another $500,000, I think I am going to start with the International Rescue Committee, an organization that a friend of mine works for that aids refugees to get placed in the U.S. and aids them with the basics of starting a new life here - assistance finding housing, jobs, and other social services. The IRC places many of the refugees in Clarkston, GA. mentioned in the NYT article.
Anyhow, I hereby challenge each and every one of you to match me this year and donate 1% of your paycheck to various charities of your choosing. It can be anything - pick something you are interested in. Like soccer? Throw a little cash towards The Fugees, Soccer In The Streets, or even the (real) Kanu Heart Foundation. Hate soccer? Pick something that you like, and I guarantee that there is a charity related to it that is underfunded and could use your help. Really & truly no amount is too small.
It's not much money at all either; for most of us it is the equivalent of 1 happy hour of drinks with your buddies after work each month. Better yet, find an organization that you like and get involved yourself by volunteering.
To quote Orson Swindle in the days following Hurricane Katrina: "Give, bitches, give!"
This year my New Year's resolution is to donate 1% of my after tax income to charity. I was going to start with the Fugees, but considering that since the Times article ran on Sunday they have received over $50,000 in donations, and Universal Pictures just kicked in another $500,000, I think I am going to start with the International Rescue Committee, an organization that a friend of mine works for that aids refugees to get placed in the U.S. and aids them with the basics of starting a new life here - assistance finding housing, jobs, and other social services. The IRC places many of the refugees in Clarkston, GA. mentioned in the NYT article.
Anyhow, I hereby challenge each and every one of you to match me this year and donate 1% of your paycheck to various charities of your choosing. It can be anything - pick something you are interested in. Like soccer? Throw a little cash towards The Fugees, Soccer In The Streets, or even the (real) Kanu Heart Foundation. Hate soccer? Pick something that you like, and I guarantee that there is a charity related to it that is underfunded and could use your help. Really & truly no amount is too small.
It's not much money at all either; for most of us it is the equivalent of 1 happy hour of drinks with your buddies after work each month. Better yet, find an organization that you like and get involved yourself by volunteering.
To quote Orson Swindle in the days following Hurricane Katrina: "Give, bitches, give!"
Fugee-La
I was so happy to see this story finally come to fruition in the form of a feature article in the New York Times last Sunday by Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer author Warren St. John, since a little birdie told me several months ago that is was in the works.
The article chronicles the heart-warming story of a youth soccer team in Clarkston, GA made up completely of refugee children from around the world, and the extreme challenges and difficulties they face on and off the field. It is made-for Hollywood stuff and definitely worth taking 10 minutes of your day to read.
"We used to be #10, now we permanent as 1"
Please read the story if you get a chance. It was the single most emailed New York Times story last weekend, and I am absolutely certain that this will not be the last that the world hears about this wonderful story. In fact, Variety reported Wednesday that Universal have bought the movie rights to the story and that 1) Warren is going to write a full blown book about it and 2) Universal is going to make a movie out of the story. Beyond the recognition, the best news of course is more funding for the Fugees project to grow and expand. According to the Variety article:
Part of the pic deal calls for Universal to pay $500,000 to build a soccer field for the kids. Part of the money will fund a foundation to benefit the team, and the dealmakers cut their fees so more of the coin would go to the teens.
Wow - so the story dropped in the NY Times on Sunday and this deal was cut 3 days later. The old "Gray Lady" isn't dead just yet, apparently. I'm sure you will see Warren and or Coach Mufleh making the rounds on talk shows in the near future. My hearty congratulations to everyone involved on the well deserved recognition and success.
You can learn more about the Fugees and donate to their worthy cause at their website.
The article chronicles the heart-warming story of a youth soccer team in Clarkston, GA made up completely of refugee children from around the world, and the extreme challenges and difficulties they face on and off the field. It is made-for Hollywood stuff and definitely worth taking 10 minutes of your day to read.
"We used to be #10, now we permanent as 1"
Please read the story if you get a chance. It was the single most emailed New York Times story last weekend, and I am absolutely certain that this will not be the last that the world hears about this wonderful story. In fact, Variety reported Wednesday that Universal have bought the movie rights to the story and that 1) Warren is going to write a full blown book about it and 2) Universal is going to make a movie out of the story. Beyond the recognition, the best news of course is more funding for the Fugees project to grow and expand. According to the Variety article:
Part of the pic deal calls for Universal to pay $500,000 to build a soccer field for the kids. Part of the money will fund a foundation to benefit the team, and the dealmakers cut their fees so more of the coin would go to the teens.
Wow - so the story dropped in the NY Times on Sunday and this deal was cut 3 days later. The old "Gray Lady" isn't dead just yet, apparently. I'm sure you will see Warren and or Coach Mufleh making the rounds on talk shows in the near future. My hearty congratulations to everyone involved on the well deserved recognition and success.
You can learn more about the Fugees and donate to their worthy cause at their website.
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